Nationwide campaign for small charities gets government backing

Localgiving, the leading support network for UK local charities and community groups, has launched a nationwide search for philanthropists to back its annual match fund campaign, Grow Your Tenner.

The news follows confirmation of Government backing for the campaign, with a grant from the Office for Civil Society (OCS) contributing to the match fund pot. Set to launch in October, the Grow Your Tenner scheme will double all donations made through Localgiving.com up to £10, with the aim of raising £4m for small, local charities.

Brooks Newmark, Minister for Civil Society, said: “Whether it is supporting children with Down’s syndrome, helping trafficked women or supporting community arts projects, local charities provide valuable services within communities across the UK. The Government’s matched fund grant for Localgiving’s Grow Your Tenner campaign is an effective way to make donations go further and help small charities thrive. We want as many donors as possible to help increase this fund and see the difference it can make.”

Marcelle Speller, chairman and founder of Localgiving, said: “Small, local charities make an incredible difference to the communities they work in but, sadly, many are struggling and in great need of our support. Grow Your Tenner is a fantastic opportunity for philanthropists to maximise the effect of their giving – a single and simple donation will have a widespread effect, making a huge difference to potentially thousands of small charities, which simply isn’t possible any other way. This is an opportunity to be part of something amazing that will help communities right across the country.”